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Y-12 approved for B61-12 weapons work

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Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on the B61-12 nuclear bomb.

 

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on the B61-12 nuclear bomb.

 

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge has been approved to produce a major component of a nuclear bomb known as the B61-12.

The approval was the final step to authorize the manufacturing and delivery of the first production unit of a component called the canned subassembly. It’s scheduled for March 2019, according to Y-12. A canned subassembly is the second stage of a modern thermonuclear weapon, and it is part of the nuclear explosives package.

The Y-12 work is part of the B61-12 Life Extension Program, which will consolidate four versions of the bomb into one. The bombs could be carried on B-2A bomber aircraft and F-15Es, several types of F-16s, and PA-200 fighters, and in the future, F-35s and B-21s.

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Updated: New Y-12 contract has 2.5 percent wage increases for guards

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:20 p.m. July 8.

A new contract at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge includes 2.5 percent wage increases for security police officers.

The new contract, a five-year labor agreement, applies to more than 360 security police officers at Y-12.

The International Guards Union of America Local 3 and Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, the contractor that operates Y-12, reached the agreement on Tuesday, July 3. Negotiations had started in mid-May.

The agreement includes 2.5 percent wage increases each year, said Shannon Gray, president of IGUA Local 3, which is in Oak Ridge. There are also some other incentive payments for rotating shift workers, who will receive a significant bump in pay, Gray said. [Read more…]

Y-12 part of extending life of nation’s oldest nuclear weapons

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Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

 

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is part of a program to extend the life of B61 bombs, the oldest nuclear weapons in the nation’s active stockpile, federal officials said.

The life extension program, or LEP, for the B61 bombs is the most complex and expensive since the U.S. Department of Energy began stockpile life extension activities in January 1996, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Critical components of the bombs are reaching the end of their operational lives, and the life extension program will result in a bomb known as B61-12. It will consolidate four versions of the bomb into one. The bombs could be carried on B-2A bomber aircraft and F-15E, F-16, F-35, and PA-200 fighters.

A GAO report described the role of six National Nuclear Security Administration sites and laboratories in the LEP. Besides Y-12, the NNSA sites are Kansas City National Security Campus in Missouri; Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas; Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina.

Y-12 is designated as the production site for the secondary. All weapons in the U.S. nuclear stockpile are two-stage nuclear weapons, or thermonuclear weapons. The first stage, known as the primary, is a fission device that is the initial source of nuclear energy, the GAO said. The secondary, which is the second stage, is a nuclear stage physically separate from the primary. Together, the primary and secondary are referred to as the weapon’s nuclear explosive package, the GAO said. [Read more…]

East Tennessee Foundation, CNS Y-12 accepting nonprofit grant applications

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East Tennessee Foundation is now accepting applications for funding from the CNS Y-12 Community Investment Fund, or CNS Y-12 Fund. That’s a donor advised fund of East Tennessee Foundation, a press release said.

Organizations must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) or other exempt entities located in the CNS Y-12 20-county service area, the press release said. Grant applications are sought to support one or more of the committee’s two focus areas: cultural and historic preservation, or mental health and substance abuse.

To determine eligibility and apply, visit www.etf.org/grants through May 23.  Grant awards will primarily range from $2,000-$15,000. One-year grants will be awarded in early fall 2018, the press release said. [Read more…]

Y-12, Pantex donate $1.1 million to local United Way campaigns

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

United Way contributions at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge totaled about $1.1 million.

The contributions were announced last week by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, the contractor that manages and operates the two sites. Contributions from employees, retirees, and the corporation were gathered during the sites’ recent campaigns, CNS said in a press release.

Corporate gifts of $150,000 also added to the total, CNS said. Funds also were raised through special events, such as silent auctions, and the sales of jewelry, books, and food items. This year, both sites’ employees added to their United Way activities by raising funds and supplies for local veteran resource centers, the press release said. [Read more…]

With government shut down, Y-12 employees still working

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

With some apparent exceptions, employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge will continue working even after the federal government shut down after federal funding expired Friday.

Y-12 posted an announcement after the federal government shut down early Saturday. The announcement said workers at Y-12 and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, are expected to report to work on their next scheduled work day unless they have previously approved leave or have been given formal notice by their management to not report to work.

A few other federal organizations and federal contractors didn’t immediately appear to have posted notices as of early Saturday afternoon, about 12 hours after the shutdown began. Those include Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]

Y-12 to build replacement parts for nuclear warheads on submarine missiles

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A Trident II D5 missile test launch (Photo courtesy National Nuclear Security Administration)

A Trident II D5 missile test launch (Photo courtesy National Nuclear Security Administration)

 

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge has been approved to build parts for a system being replaced in the W88 nuclear warhead, which is deployed on submarine-launched missiles, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The W88 has been a key part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent since it became part of the weapons stockpile in 1988, the NNSA said on its website Tuesday. But it needs maintenance.

The W88 Alteration (Alt) 370 program will replace the warhead’s Arming, Fuzing, and Firing, or AF&F, subsystem and address other aging issues to maintain its current state of readiness, the NNSA said.

Y-12 has been approved to build component parts for the W88 Alt 370 nearly two years ahead of schedule. [Read more…]

FAA restricts drone flights over ORNL, Y-12

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Photo courtesy Federal Aviation Administration

Photo courtesy Federal Aviation Administration

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Department of Energy have agreed to restrict drone flights over Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, and five other federal sites.

It is the first time the FAA has placed specific airspace restrictions for unmanned aircraft, or “drones,” over DOE sites.

Under the new rules, no drones can be operated within the restricted areas from the ground (surface) up to an altitude of 400 feet. The airspace restrictions take effect Friday, December 29.

Here are the seven sites that are affected: [Read more…]

NNSA Production Office donated 43,398 pounds of food for Annual Feds Feed Families campaign

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Employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office, or NPO, donated 43,398 pounds of food as part of the annual U.S. Department of Energy’s Feds Feed Families, or FFF, campaign.

The NPO FFF donations are supporting the efforts of the High Plains Food Bank, Amarillo, Texas, and the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, a press release said.

“I’m extremely proud and moved by the generosity of NPO employees. These donations will have an important impact for those in need in East Tennessee and the Texas Panhandle,” said Geoff Beausoleil, NPO manager. [Read more…]

CNS Y-12 community fund announces $150,000 in grants to 16 nonprofits

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Anderson County EMS received a grant from the CNS Y-12 Community Investment Fund. The grants were announced on Dec. 6, 2017. (Photo by CNS Y-12)

Anderson County EMS received a grant from the CNS Y-12 Community Investment Fund. The grants were announced on Dec. 6, 2017. (Photo by CNS Y-12)

 

Sixteen nonprofit organizations in 11 East Tennessee counties received roughly $150,000 in grants from the Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC (CNS) Y-12 Community Investment Fund.

Anderson County EMS was among the grant recipients. The recipients were announced during a December 6 reception at Y-12’s New Hope Center.

Consolidated Nuclear Security manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. The CNS Y-12 Community Investment Fund is managed by the East Tennessee Foundation, and it was created in 2014 by CNS. A similar fund is managed by the Amarillo Area Foundation, a press release said. [Read more…]

With $3 billion in savings expected, not clear how much saved at Y-12, Pantex so far

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Y-12 National Security Complex

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (File photo/B&W Y-12)

 

More than $3 billion in savings are expected during a decade, but it’s not clear yet how much money has been saved after three years under a consolidated contract at two nuclear weapons plants in Tennessee and Texas.

The savings of $3.27 billion are expected under a contract that could last 10 years at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas.

On Monday, officials said Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, the contractor at the two sites, has generated significant savings in three fiscal years, although it’s not clear exactly how much they’ve saved. CNS has managed and operated Y-12 and Pantex Plant since July 1, 2014.

Federal officials announced the expected savings of $3.27 billion during a decade when the five-year contract was announced in January 2013. Officials said the consolidated contract, the result of years of work, could save money in part by eliminating redundancies in such areas as human resources, purchasing, finance, and information technology. [Read more…]

Congressmen praise consolidated contract at Y-12, Pantex

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U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry, left, a Texas Republican, and Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, are pictured above after an East Tennessee Economic Council meeting on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry, left, a Texas Republican, and Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, are pictured above after an East Tennessee Economic Council meeting on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Two congressmen, one from East Tennessee and other the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, praised the consolidated contract that has been used to manage and operate the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge for more than three years.

The two sites are managed by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC. Y-12 and Pantex are involved in nuclear weapons work and nuclear nonproliferation, and providing enriched uranium for naval, research, and isotope production reactors.

The transition to the consolidated contract, one of the most complex in the history of the U.S. Department of Energy, was completed on July 1, 2014. At that time, officials said the contract included a total annual operating budget of $1.5 billion and employment of about 8,000 in Tennessee and Texas. [Read more…]